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Army reveal update on condition of horses that ran amok in London after surgery

The British Army say the two horses who bolted and ran amok across London are continuing to make good progress.

They confirmed in an update shared today that horses Quaker and Vida were improving. The pair stunned bystanders on April 24 as they ran amok across the city before being recaptured, near Limehouse some five away from where they first bolted.

"Two horses underwent surgery. One, Quaker, a Cavalry black, has shown significant improvement and progresses towards what is expected to be a full recovery," the British Army said in an X post. "The other horse, Vida, a grey, continues to make progress.

"He remains under close and careful professional veterinary observation as his wounds heal. We are so thankful for everyone’s concern and expressions of support, and for all those involved in their care.

"Healing takes time - please be patient as we support that process. The soldiers and horses are all receiving the very best of care."

As reported by the Mirror, the British Army confirmed two of the injured soldiers are still undergoing treatment in hospital although they are expected to make a full recovery. The remainder have since returned to work.

A group of seven horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry were undergoing an extended exercise in Belgravia when the animals were spooked by noise coming from a building site. The horses threw four service personnel onto the ground as they ran amok.

Shortly afterward, one of the loose horses ended up smashing into a taxi that was waiting outside the Clermont Hotel, shattering its windscreen. The driver also said a white horse, later identified as Vida, had crashed into a Mercedes people carrier leaving blood splattered down its body.

Jordan Pettitt, 26, said the grey horse was “vividly” stained red with blood and he heard a black horse collide with a taxi. When the horses were recaptured they were taken away for treatment.

Both Quaker and Vida were operated on the night they were recaptured with one being taken back to the barracks and another to an equine hospital. All other horses were closely observed.

Witness Tula, a management consultant from south London, said: "I got off the 172 bus which ends at Aldwych and two horses went flying past. One black, one white. The white one was drenched in blood from the chest down and they were galloping through the traffic at speed.

“People were stopping in the street shocked. The horses were running into fast-moving traffic and seemed terrified. Some unmarked police cars were chasing after them, which didn’t seem to be helping. I felt shocked. It was pretty gruesome. Felt like a weird dream.”

As the British Army shared updates about the horses' condition, a Household Cavalry whistleblower, known by her alias Kate, said the animals were "ready to explode" due to being allegedly kept in poor conditions. "The horses are so nervous," she told LBC. "They are ready to explode. I don't think it's a healthy environment. It doesn't provide what a horse needs, and space."

She also claimed to have seen rats scurrying around about the stalls, loose cables and the horses being given "dirty water," which made them unwell. Kate added the horses would "only have exercise for an hour a day, and very little sunlight."